Managing a 5g network using extension information

ABSTRACT

A computer device may include a memory storing instructions and processor configured to execute the instructions to maintain a repository of network function devices in a network; obtain a transport network key performance indicator (KPI) for a particular network function device in the network; and generate an administration weight based on the obtained transport network KPI, wherein the administration weight corresponds to a measure of performance associated with the particular network function device. The processor may be further configured to receive, from a requesting network function device, a network function discovery request for a network function type associated with the particular network function device; and provide a network function discovery answer to the requesting network function device, wherein the network function discovery answer includes the generated administration weight for the particular network function device.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/378,851, filed on Apr. 9, 2019 and titled “MANAGING A 5GNETWORK USING EXTENSION INFORMATION, “the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In order to satisfy the needs and demands of users of mobilecommunication devices, providers of wireless communication servicescontinue to improve and expand available services as well as networksused to deliver such services. One aspect of such improvements includesthe development of core networks as well as options to utilize such corenetworks. A core network may manage a large number of devicesexperiencing different conditions. Managing all the different devicesassociated with different conditions poses various challenges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an environment according to animplementation described herein;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of the corenetwork of FIG. 1 according to an implementation described herein;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of a device thatmay be included in a component of FIG. 1 or FIG. 2 according to animplementation described herein;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of the networkrepository function of FIG. 2 according to an implementation describedherein;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of a softwaredefined networking controller associated with a component of FIG. 1 orFIG. 2 according to an implementation described herein;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of the networkrepository function (NRF) database of FIG. 4 according to animplementation described herein;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for implementing a network repositoryfunction according to an implementation described herein;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an exemplary system according to animplementation described herein;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an exemplary network repository function tableaccording to an implementation described herein; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an exemplary signal flow according to animplementation described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings identify the same orsimilar elements.

As communication networks and services increase in size, complexity, andnumber of users, management of the communication networks have becomeincreasingly more complex. One way in which wireless access networks arecontinuing to become more complicated is by incorporating variousaspects of next generation networks, such as 5^(th) generation (5G)mobile networks, utilizing high frequency bands (e.g., 24 Gigahertz, 39GHz, etc.), and/or lower frequency bands such as Sub 6 GHz, and a largenumber of antennas. 5G New Radio (NR) millimeter (mm) wave technologymay provide significant improvements in bandwidth and/or latency overother wireless network technology. Furthermore, coverage and signalquality may be improved using multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO)adaptive antenna arrays. Additionally, user equipment (UE) devices mayalso include multiple antennas to improve spectral efficiency.

Moreover, improvements in the core networks of 5G wireless accessnetworks provide new functionality, such as, for example, networkslicing. Network slicing is a form of virtual network architecture thatenables multiple logical networks to be implemented on top of a commonshared physical infrastructure using software defined networking (SDN)and/or network function virtualization (NFV). Each logical network,referred to as a “network slice,” may encompass an end-to-end virtualnetwork with dedicated storage and/or computation resources, may beconfigured to implement a different set of requirements and/orpriorities, and/or may be associated with a particular Quality ofService (QoS) class, type of service, and/or particular enterprisecustomer associated with a set of UE devices.

In order to implement functionality such as network slicing, a 5G corenetwork may include various network nodes, known as network functions(NFs). One such NF in a 5G core network is the Network RepositoryFunction (NRF). An NRF may provide NF registration, management,discovery, and/or authentication services within the 5G core. Forexample, when a new NF, such as, for example, an Access and MobilityManagement Function (AMF) is brought online, the AMF may register itsreachability and services information with the NRF so that other NFs inthe 5G core network are able to communicate with the AMF. When anothernetwork component, such as, for example, a gNodeB base station, needs tocommunicate with an AMF, the gNodeB may send a request to the NRF for anavailable AMF and the NRF may provide the reachability and otherinformation relating to the AMF to the requesting gNodeB.

The NRF may store information identifying multiple NF devices for aparticular NF type. For example, the NRF may identify multiple UserPlane Functions (UPFs) in a particular network slice. However, thestored information relating to the NF devices may not be enough toenable a requesting NF to select the most appropriate NF device for aparticular network service. For example, the network slice associatedwith the particular network service may have a requirement (e.g., alatency requirement) and the requesting NF may not be able to determinewhich NF devices, out of the NF devices available to carry out theparticular network service, will be able to satisfy the network slicerequirement.

The term “NF device,” as used herein, may refer to a dedicated hardwarecomponent implementing an NF instance or to a hardware component that ispart of a common shared physical infrastructure used to implementvirtualized NF instances using SDN or another type of virtualizationtechnique. Thus, the “NF device” may be configured to implement aparticular NF instance as a Virtual Network Function (VNF) (e.g., in avirtual machine), as a Cloud-native Network Function (CNF) (e.g., in acontainer), as a serverless architecture event handler, and/or using adifferent type of virtualization implementation. The common sharedphysical infrastructure may be implemented using one or more computerdevices in a cloud computing center, a mobile edge computing (MEC)system associated with a base station, and/or in another type ofcomputer system.

Implementations described herein relate to extensions to 5G NRFfunctionality. A computer device configured to implement a 5G NRF mayextend the functionality of the 5G NRF to include maintaining anadministration weight for particular NF devices registered with the NRF.The administration weight for a particular NF device may correspond to ameasure of performance associated with the particular NF. For example,the administration weight may be based on one or more transport networkkey performance indicators (KPIs) associated with the particular NF.

Thus, a computer device may be configured to maintain a repository of NFdevices in a 5G network; obtain a transport network KPI for a particularNF device in the 5G network; and generate an administration weight basedon the obtained transport network KPI that corresponds to a measure ofperformance associated with the particular NF device. The computerdevice may further be configured to receive, from a requesting 5G NFdevice (e.g., a Session Management Function (SMF) device, an ApplicationFunction (AF) device, etc.), a 5G NF discovery request for an NF typeassociated with the particular NF device and provide a 5G NF discoveryanswer to the requesting 5G NF device. The discovery answer may includethe generated administration weight for the particular NF device. Therequesting NF may then determine whether to select the particular NFdevice to carry out a network service based on the administration weightassociated with the particular NF device.

The transport network KPI may include at least one of a packet loss KPI,a packet delay KPI, or a load capacity KPI and may be received from anSDN controller associated with the particular NF device. The SDNcontroller may implement the particular NF device as a VNF instance, asa CNF instance, as a serverless architecture event handler, and/or usinga different type of implementation. The SDN controller may be configuredas a 5G AF instance that reports the transport KPIs to the NRF via a 5GNaf interface.

Generating the administration weight based on the obtained transportnetwork KPI may include determining a set of transport network KPIs fora network path associated with the particular NF device and generatingthe administration weight as a weighted sum of the set of transportnetwork KPIs. Additionally, or alternatively, generating theadministration weight based on the obtained transport network KPI mayinclude determining whether the obtained transport network KPI satisfiesa service requirement associated with a network slice associated withthe particular NF device.

Furthermore, in some implementations, the NRF may be further configuredto obtain one or more wireless network KPIs for the particular NF devicefrom a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) device associated withthe 5G network and the administration weight may be further based on theobtained one or more wireless network KPIs. The one or more wirelessnetwork KPIs may include, for example, accessibility KPIs (e.g., a RadioResource Control (RRC) setup success rate, a Radio Access Bearer (RAB)success rate, etc.), retainability KPIs (e.g., a call drop rate, etc.),mobility KPIs (e.g., a handover success rate, etc.), service integrityKPIs (e.g., downlink average throughput, downlink maximum throughput,uplink average throughput, uplink maximum throughput, etc.), utilizationKPIs (e.g., resource block utilization rate, average processor load,etc.), availability KPIs (e.g., radio network unavailability rate,etc.), traffic KPIs (e.g., downlink traffic volume, uplink trafficvolume, average number of users, maximum number of users, a number ofvoice bearers, a number of video bearers, etc.), response time KPIs(e.g., latency, packet arrival time, etc.), and/or other types ofwireless network KPIs.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary environment 100 in which the systemsand/or methods, described herein, may be implemented. As shown in FIG.1, environment 100 may include user equipment (UE) devices 110-AA to110-NY (referred to herein collectively as “UE devices 110” andindividually as “UE device 110”), a radio access network 120, a corenetwork 130, and data networks 140-A to 140-N.

UE device 110 may include any device with long-range (e.g., cellular ormobile wireless network) wireless communication functionality. Forexample, UE device 110 may include a handheld wireless communicationdevice (e.g., a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet device, etc.); awearable computer device (e.g., a head-mounted display computer device,a head-mounted camera device, a wristwatch computer device, etc.); alaptop computer, a tablet computer, or another type of portablecomputer; a desktop computer; a customer premises equipment (CPE)device, such as a set-top box or a digital media player (e.g., Apple TV,Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, etc.), a WiFi access point, a smarttelevision, etc.; a portable gaming system; a global positioning system(GPS) device; a home appliance device; a home monitoring device; and/orany other type of computer device with wireless communicationcapabilities and a user interface. UE device 110 may includecapabilities for voice communication, mobile broadband services (e.g.,video streaming, real-time gaming, premium Internet access etc.), besteffort data traffic, and/or other types of applications.

In some implementations, UE device 110 may communicate usingmachine-to-machine (M2M) communication, such as machine-typecommunication (MTC), and/or another type of M2M communication. Forexample, UE device 110 may include a health monitoring device (e.g., ablood pressure monitoring device, a blood glucose monitoring device,etc.), an asset tracking device (e.g., a system monitoring thegeographic location of a fleet of vehicles, etc.), a traffic managementdevice (e.g., a traffic light, traffic camera, road sensor, roadillumination light, etc.), a climate controlling device (e.g., athermostat, a ventilation system, etc.), a device controlling anelectronic sign (e.g., an electronic billboard, etc.), a devicecontrolling a manufacturing system (e.g., a robot arm, an assembly line,etc.), a device controlling a security system (e.g., a camera, a motionsensor, a window sensor, etc.), a device controlling a power system(e.g., a smart grid monitoring device, a utility meter, a faultdiagnostics device, etc.), a device controlling a financial transactionsystem (e.g., a point-of-sale terminal, a vending machine, a parkingmeter, etc.), and/or another type of electronic device.

Radio access network 120 may enable UE devices 110 to connect to corenetwork 130 for mobile telephone service, Short Message Service (SMS)message service, Multimedia Message Service (MMS) message service,Internet access, cloud computing, and/or other types of data services.Radio access network 120 may include base stations 125-A to 125-N(referred to herein collectively as “base stations 125” and individuallyas “base station 125”). Each base station 125 may service a set of UEdevices 110. For example, base station 125-A may service UE devices110-AA to 110-AX, etc., to base station 125-N, which may service UEdevices 110-NA to 110-NY. In other words, UE devices 110-AA to 110-AXmay be located within the geographic area serviced by base station125-A, and other UE devices 110 may be serviced by another base station125.

Base station 125 may include a 5G base station (e.g., a gNodeB) thatincludes one or more radio frequency (RF) transceivers (also referred toas “cells” and/or “base station sectors”) facing particular directions.For example, base station 125 may include three RF transceivers and eachRF transceiver may service a 120° sector of a 360° field of view. EachRF transceiver may include an antenna array. The antenna array mayinclude an array of controllable antenna elements configured to send andreceive 5G NR wireless signals via one or more antenna beams. Theantenna elements may be digitally controllable to electronically tilt,or adjust the orientation of, an antenna beam in a vertical directionand/or horizontal direction. In some implementations, the antennaelements may additionally be controllable via mechanical steering usingone or more motors associated with each antenna element. The antennaarray may serve k UE devices 110, and may simultaneously generate up tok antenna beams. A particular antenna beam may service multiple UEdevices 110. In some implementations, base station 125 may also includea 4G base station (e.g., an eNodeB). Furthermore, in someimplementations, base station 125 may include a mobile edge computing(MEC) system that perform cloud computing and/or network processingservices for UE devices 110.

Core network 130 may manage communication sessions for UE devices 110.For example, core network 130 may establish an Internet Protocol (IP)connection between UE device 110 and a particular data network 140.Furthermore, core network 130 may enable UE device 110 to communicatewith an application server, and/or another type of device, located in aparticular data network 140 using a communication method that does notrequire the establishment of an IP connection between UE device 110 anddata network 140, such as, for example, Data over Non-Access Stratum(DoNAS).

In some implementations, core network 130 may include a Long TermEvolution (LTE) access network (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC)network). In other implementations, core network 130 may include a CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) access network. For example, the CDMAaccess network may include a CDMA enhanced High Rate Packet Data (eHRPD)network (which may provide access to an LTE access network).

Furthermore, core network 130 may include an LTE Advanced (LTE-A) accessnetwork and/or a 5G core network or other advanced network that includesfunctionality such as management of 5G NR base stations; carrieraggregation; advanced or massive multiple-input and multiple-output(MIMO) configurations (e.g., an 8×8 antenna configuration, a 16×16antenna configuration, a 256×256 antenna configuration, etc.);cooperative MIMO (CO-MIMO); relay stations; Heterogeneous Networks(HetNets) of overlapping small cells and macrocells; Self-OrganizingNetwork (SON) functionality; MTC functionality, such as 1.4 MHz wideenhanced MTC (eMTC) channels (also referred to as category Cat-M1), LowPower Wide Area (LPWA) technology such as Narrow Band (NB) IoT (NB-IoT)technology, and/or other types of MTC technology; and/or other types ofLTE-A and/or 5G functionality.

Data networks 140-A to 140-N (referred to herein collectively as “datanetworks 140” and individually as “data network 140”) may each include apacket data network. A particular data network 140 may include, and/orbe connected to and enable communication with, a local area network(LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), anoptical network, a cable television network, a satellite network, awireless network (e.g., a CDMA network, a general packet radio service(GPRS) network, and/or an LTE network), an ad hoc network, a telephonenetwork (e.g., the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or acellular network), an intranet, or a combination of networks. Some orall of a particular data network 140 may be managed by a communicationservices provider that also manages core network 130, radio accessnetwork 120, and/or particular UE devices 110. For example, in someimplementations, a particular data network 140 may include an IPMultimedia Sub-system (IMS) network (not shown in FIG. 1). An IMSnetwork may include a network for delivering IP multimedia services andmay provide media flows between two different UE devices 110, and/orbetween a particular UE device 110 and external IP networks or externalcircuit-switched networks (not shown in FIG. 1).

Although FIG. 1 shows exemplary components of environment 100, in otherimplementations, environment 100 may include fewer components, differentcomponents, differently arranged components, or additional componentsthan depicted in FIG. 1. Additionally or alternatively, one or morecomponents of environment 100 may perform functions described as beingperformed by one or more other components of environment 100.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a system 200 that includes exemplarycomponents of core network 130 in the context of environment 100according to an implementation described herein. As shown in FIG. 2,system 200 may include UE device 110, gNodeB 210, core network 130, anddata network 140.

gNodeB 210 (corresponding to base station 125) may include one or moredevices (e.g., base stations) and other components and functionalitythat enable UE device 110 to wirelessly connect to access network 120using 5G NR Radio Access Technology (RAT). For example, gNodeB 210 mayservice one or more cells, with each cell being served by a wirelesstransceiver with an antenna array configured for mm-wave wirelesscommunication. gNodeB 210 may correspond to base station 125. gNodeB 210may communicate with AMF 220 using an N2 interface 212 and communicatewith UPF 230 using an N3 interface 214.

Core network 130 may include an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) 220,a User Plane Function (UPF) 230, a Session Management Function (SMF)240, an Application Function (AF) 250, a Unified Data Management (UDM)252, a Policy Control Function (PCF) 254, a Charging Function (CHF) 256,a Network Repository Function (NRF) 258, a Network Exposure Function(NEF) 260, a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 262, anAuthentication Server Function (AUSF) 264, a 5G Equipment IdentityRegister (EIR) 266, a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF) 268, aShort Message Service Function (SMSF) 270, a Security Edge ProtectionProxy (SEPP) 272, and a Non-3GPP Inter-Working Function (N3IWF) 274.

While FIG. 2 depicts a single AMF 220, UPF 230, SMF 240, AF 250, UDM252, PCF 254, CHF 256, NRF 258, NEF 260, NSSF 262, AUSF 264, EIR 266,NWDAF 268, SMSF 270, SEPP 272, and N3IWF 274 for illustration purposes,in practice, core network 130 may include multiple AMFs 220, UPFs 230,SMFs 240, AFs 250, UDMs 252, PCFs 254, CHFs 256, NRFs 258, NEFs 260,NSSFs 262, AUSFs 264, EIRs 266, NWDAFs 268, SMSFs 270, SEPPs 272, and/orN3IWFs 274.

The components depicted in FIG. 2 may be implemented as dedicatedhardware components or as virtualized functions implemented on top of acommon shared physical infrastructure using SDN. For example, an SDNcontroller may implement one or more of the components of FIG. 2 usingan adapter implementing a VNF virtual machine, a CNF container, an eventdriven serverless architecture interface, and/or another type of SDNarchitecture. The common shared physical infrastructure may beimplemented using one or more devices 300 described below with referenceto FIG. 3 in a cloud computing center associated with core network 130.Additionally, or alternatively, some, or all, of the common sharedphysical infrastructure may be implemented using one or more devices 300described below with reference to FIG. 3 using a MEC system associatedwith base stations 125.

AMF 220 may perform registration management, connection management,reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercepts, ShortMessage Service (SMS) transport between UE device 110 and an SMSF 270,session management messages transport between UE device 110 and SMF 240,access authentication and authorization, location services management,functionality to support non-3GPP access networks, and/or other types ofmanagement processes. AMF 220 may be accessible by other function nodesvia an Namf interface 222.

UPF 230 may maintain an anchor point for intra/inter-RAT mobility,maintain an external Packet Data Unit (PDU) point of interconnect to aparticular data network 140, perform packet routing and forwarding,perform the user plane part of policy rule enforcement, perform packetinspection, perform lawful intercept, perform traffic usage reporting,perform QoS handling in the user plane, perform uplink trafficverification, perform transport level packet marking, perform downlinkpacket buffering, forward an “end marker” to a Radio Access Network node(e.g., gNodeB 210), and/or perform other types of user plane processes.UPF 230 may communicate with SMF 240 using an N4 interface 232 andconnect to data network 140 using an N6 interface 234.

SMF 240 may perform session establishment, session modification, and/orsession release, perform IP address allocation and management, performDynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) functions, perform selectionand control of UPF 230, configure traffic steering at UPF 230 to guidethe traffic to the correct destinations, terminate interfaces toward PCF254, perform lawful intercepts, charge data collection, support charginginterfaces, control and coordinate of charging data collection,terminate session management parts of NAS messages, perform downlinkdata notification, manage roaming functionality, and/or perform othertypes of control plane processes for managing user plane data. SMF 240may be accessible via an Nsmf interface 242.

AF 250 may provide services associated with a particular application,such as, for example, an application for influencing traffic routing, anapplication for accessing NEF 260, an application for interacting with apolicy framework for policy control, and/or other types of applications.AF 250 may be accessible via an Naf interface 251.

UDM 252 may maintain subscription information for UE devices 110, managesubscriptions, generate authentication credentials, handle useridentification, perform access authorization based on subscription data,perform network function registration management, maintain serviceand/or session continuity by maintaining assignment of SMF 240 forongoing sessions, support SMS delivery, support lawful interceptfunctionality, and/or perform other processes associated with managinguser data. UDM 252 may be accessible via a Nudm interface 253.

PCF 254 may support policies to control network behavior, provide policyrules to control plane functions (e.g., to SMF 240), access subscriptioninformation relevant to policy decisions, perform policy decisions,and/or perform other types of processes associated with policyenforcement. PCF 254 may be accessible via Npcf interface 255. CHF 256may perform charging and/or billing functions for core network 130. CHF256 may be accessible via Nchf interface 257.

NRF 258 may support a service discovery function and maintain profilesof available network function (NF) devices/instances and their supportedservices. An NF profile may include an NF instance identifier (ID), anNF type, a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN) ID associated with the NF,network slice IDs associated with the NF, capacity information for theNF, service authorization information for the NF, supported servicesassociated with the NF, endpoint information for each supported serviceassociated with the NF, and/or other types of NF information.Additionally, NRF 258 may include one or more transport network KPIsassociated with the NF device/instance. NRF 258 may be accessible via anNnrf interface 259.

NEF 260 may expose capabilities and events to other NFs, including3^(rd) party NFs, AFs, edge computing NFs, and/or other types of NFs.Furthermore, NEF 258 may secure provisioning of information fromexternal applications to core network 130, translate information betweencore network 130 and devices/networks external to core network 130,support a Packet Flow Description (PFD) function, and/or perform othertypes of network exposure functions. NEF 260 may be accessible via Nnefinterface 261.

NSSF 262 may select a set of network slice instances to serve aparticular UE device 110, determine network slice selection assistanceinformation (NSSAI), determine a particular AMF 220 to serve aparticular UE device 110, and/or perform other types of processingassociated with network slice selection or management. NSSF 262 may beaccessible via Nnssf interface 263.

AUSF 264 may perform authentication. For example, AUSF 264 may implementan Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) authentication server andmay store authentication keys for UE devices 110. AUSF 264 may beaccessible via Nausf interface 265. EIR 266 may authenticate aparticular UE device 110 based on UE device identity, such as aPermanent Equipment Identifier (PEI). For example, EIR 266 may check tosee if a PEI has been blacklisted. EIR 266 may be accessible via Neirinterface 267.

NWDAF 268 may collect analytics information associated with radio accessnetwork 120 and/or core network 130. For example, NWDAF 268 may collectaccessibility KPIs (e.g., an RRC setup success rate, a RAB success rate,etc.), retainability KPIs (e.g., a call drop rate, etc.), mobility KPIs(e.g., a handover success rate, etc.), service integrity KPIs (e.g.,downlink average throughput, downlink maximum throughput, uplink averagethroughput, uplink maximum throughput, etc.), utilization KPIs (e.g.,resource block utilization rate, average processor load, etc.),availability KPIs (e.g., radio network unavailability rate, etc.),traffic KPIs (e.g., downlink traffic volume, uplink traffic volume,average number of users, maximum number of users, a number of voicebearers, a number of video bearers, etc.), response time KPIs (e.g.,latency, packet arrival time, etc.), and/or other types of wirelessnetwork KPIs.

SMSF 270 may perform SMS services for UE devices 110. SMSF 270 may beaccessible via Nsmsf interface 271. SEPP 272 may implement applicationlayer security for all layer information exchanged between two NFsacross two different PLMNs. N3IWF 274 may interconnect to a non-3GPPaccess device, such as, for example, a WiFi access point (not shown inFIG. 2). N3IWF 274 may facilitate handovers for UE device 110 betweenradio access network 120 and the non-3GPP access device. N3IWF 274 maybeaccessible via Nn3iwf interface 275.

Although FIG. 2 shows exemplary components core network 130, in otherimplementations, core network 130 may include fewer components,different components, differently arranged components, or additionalcomponents than depicted in FIG. 2. Additionally or alternatively, oneor more components of core network 130 may perform functions describedas being performed by one or more other components of core network 130.For example, core network 130 may include additional function nodes notshown in FIG. 2, such as a Unified Data Repository (UDR), anUnstructured Data Storage Network Function (UDSF), an a LocationManagement Function (LMF), a Lawful Intercept Function (LIF), a bindingsession function (BSF), and/or other types of functions. Furthermore,while particular interfaces have been described with respect toparticular function nodes in FIG. 2, additionally, or alternatively,core network 130 may include a reference point architecture thatincludes point-to-point interfaces between particular function nodes.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating example components of a device 300according to an implementation described herein. UE device 110, gNodeB210, AMF 220, UPF 230, SMF 240, AF 250, UDM 252, PCF 254, CHF 256, NRF258, NEF 260, NSSF 262, AUSF 264, EIR 266, NWDAF 268, SMSF 270, SEPP272, N3IWF 274, and/or other components of core network 130, may eachinclude one or more devices 300. As shown in FIG. 3, device 300 mayinclude a bus 310, a processor 320, a memory 330, an input device 340,an output device 350, and a communication interface 360.

Bus 310 may include a path that permits communication among thecomponents of device 300. Processor 320 may include any type ofsingle-core processor, multi-core processor, microprocessor, latch-basedprocessor, and/or processing logic (or families of processors,microprocessors, and/or processing logics) that interprets and executesinstructions. In other embodiments, processor 320 may include anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmablegate array (FPGA), and/or another type of integrated circuit orprocessing logic.

Memory 330 may include any type of dynamic storage device that may storeinformation and/or instructions, for execution by processor 320, and/orany type of non-volatile storage device that may store information foruse by processor 320. For example, memory 330 may include a randomaccess memory (RAM) or another type of dynamic storage device, aread-only memory (ROM) device or another type of static storage device,a content addressable memory (CAM), a magnetic and/or optical recordingmemory device and its corresponding drive (e.g., a hard disk drive,optical drive, etc.), and/or a removable form of memory, such as a flashmemory.

Input device 340 may allow an operator to input information into device300. Input device 340 may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, apen, a microphone, a remote control, an audio capture device, an imageand/or video capture device, a touch-screen display, and/or another typeof input device. In some embodiments, device 300 may be managed remotelyand may not include input device 340. In other words, device 300 may be“headless” and may not include a keyboard, for example.

Output device 350 may output information to an operator of device 300.Output device 350 may include a display, a printer, a speaker, and/oranother type of output device. For example, device 300 may include adisplay, which may include a liquid-crystal display (LCD) for displayingcontent to the customer. In some embodiments, device 300 may be managedremotely and may not include output device 350. In other words, device300 may be “headless” and may not include a display, for example.

Communication interface 360 may include a transceiver that enablesdevice 300 to communicate with other devices and/or systems via wirelesscommunications (e.g., radio frequency, infrared, and/or visual optics,etc.), wired communications (e.g., conductive wire, twisted pair cable,coaxial cable, transmission line, fiber optic cable, and/or waveguide,etc.), or a combination of wireless and wired communications.Communication interface 360 may include a transmitter that convertsbaseband signals to radio frequency (RF) signals and/or a receiver thatconverts RF signals to baseband signals. Communication interface 360 maybe coupled to one or more antennas/antenna arrays for transmitting andreceiving RF signals.

Communication interface 360 may include a logical component thatincludes input and/or output ports, input and/or output systems, and/orother input and output components that facilitate the transmission ofdata to other devices. For example, communication interface 360 mayinclude a network interface card (e.g., Ethernet card) for wiredcommunications and/or a wireless network interface (e.g., a WiFi) cardfor wireless communications. Communication interface 360 may alsoinclude a universal serial bus (USB) port for communications over acable, a Bluetooth™ wireless interface, a radio-frequency identification(RFID) interface, a near-field communications (NFC) wireless interface,and/or any other type of interface that converts data from one form toanother form.

As will be described in detail below, device 300 may perform certainoperations relating to NRF management and reporting KPI informationrelating to NF devices to an NRF. Device 300 may perform theseoperations in response to processor 320 executing software instructionscontained in a computer-readable medium, such as memory 330. Acomputer-readable medium may be defined as a non-transitory memorydevice. A memory device may be implemented within a single physicalmemory device or spread across multiple physical memory devices. Thesoftware instructions may be read into memory 330 from anothercomputer-readable medium or from another device. The softwareinstructions contained in memory 330 may cause processor 320 to performprocesses described herein. Alternatively, hardwired circuitry may beused in place of, or in combination with, software instructions toimplement processes described herein. Thus, implementations describedherein are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitryand software.

Although FIG. 3 shows exemplary components of device 300, in otherimplementations, device 300 may include fewer components, differentcomponents, additional components, or differently arranged componentsthan depicted in FIG. 3. Additionally, or alternatively, one or morecomponents of device 300 may perform one or more tasks described asbeing performed by one or more other components of device 300.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of NRF 258. Thecomponents of NRF 258 may be implemented, for example, via processor 320executing instructions from memory 330. Alternatively, some or all ofthe components of NRF 258 may be implemented via hard-wired circuitry.As shown in FIG. 4, NRF 258 may include a registration interface 410, arequests interface 420, a transport network KPI interface 430, a NWDAFinterface 440, an NRF manager 450, and an NRF database (DB) 460.

Registration interface 410 may be configured to receive a registrationmessage from an NF device in core network 130. For example, when a newNF device is brought online and/or activated in core network 130, thenew NF device may register with NRF 258 via registration interface 410.The registration message may include, for example, an NF instance IDassociated with an NF instance, information identifying the type of NFassociated with the NF instance, a PLMN ID associated with the NFinstance, network slices associated with the NF instance, endpointinformation for each supported service associated with the NF, and/orother types of NF information.

Requests interface 420 may be configured to respond to discoveryrequests for particular types of NFs. For example, if an SMF 240 needsto find a UPF device, SMF 240 may send a discovery request to NRF 258via requests interface 420 for an available UPF 230 and NRF 258 mayrespond to the discovery request with information identifying one ormore available UPFs 230. Transport network KPI interface 430 may beconfigured to receive information relating to transport network KPIsassociated with particular NF devices. For example, an SDN controllerassociated with a particular NF instance may monitor one or moretransport network KPIs associated with the particular NF instance, suchas, for example, a packet loss KPI, a packet delay KPI, a load capacityKPI, and/or another type of transport network KPI, and may report theone or more transport network KPIs to NRF 258 via transport network KPIinterface 430.

NWDAF interface 440 may be configured to receive wireless network KPIsassociated with particular NF devices in radio access network 120 and/orcore network 130 from NWDAF 268. NRF manager 450 may manage NRFfunctionality associated with NRF 258, such as registering NF devices,responding to NF requests, and/or receiving and storing KPI informationrelating to NF devices in core wireless network 130 in NRF DB 460. NRFDB 460 may store NF profiles of registered NFs. Each NF profile mayinclude, for a particular NF instance, an NF instance ID, an NF type, aPLMN ID associated with the NF, network slice IDs associated with theNF, capacity information for the NF, service authorization informationfor the NF, supported services associated with the NF, endpointinformation for each supported service associated with the NF, and/orother types of NF information. Additional exemplary information that maybe stored in NRF DB 460 is described below with reference to FIG. 6.

Although FIG. 4 shows exemplary components of NRF 258, in otherimplementations, NRF 258 may include fewer components, differentcomponents, differently arranged components, or additional componentsthan depicted in FIG. 4. Additionally, or alternatively, one or morecomponents of NRF 258 may perform functions described as being performedby one or more other components of NRF 258.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating exemplary components of SDN controller500. The components of SDN controller 500 may be implemented, forexample, via processor 320 executing instructions from memory 330.Alternatively, some or all of the components of SDN controller 500 maybe implemented via hard-wired circuitry. As shown in FIG. 5, SDNcontroller 500 may include an application programming interface (API)handler 510, a logic engine 520, a KPI monitor 530, a KPI DB 540, andadapters 550-A to 550-N (referred to herein collectively as “adapters550” and individually as “adapter 550”).

API handler 510 may manage one or more APIs associated with NFsimplemented by SDN controller 500. For example, API handler 510 mayreceive an API request from another NF in core network 130, may providethe API request to logic engine 520, and may send a response from logicengine 520 to the requesting NF. Additionally, API handler 510 maygenerate API requests to other NFs in core network 130.

Logic engine 520 may route messages between adapters 550 and betweenadapters 550 and API handler 510. KPI monitor 530 may monitor one ormore transport network KPIs associated with particular adapters 550 andstore the KPI information in KPI DB 540. The transport network KPIs mayinclude a packet loss KPI, a packet delay KPI, a packet throughput KPI,a load capacity KPI, and/or another type of transport network KPIassociated with an NF implemented by a particular adapter 550.

Each adapter 550 may implement a virtualized NF of a particular NF type.As an example, adapter 550 may implement a VM on the underlying physicalinfrastructure. The VM may include an operating system and anapplication implementing a particular virtualized NF instance. Asanother example, a set of adapters 550 may each implement a container ontop of an existing virtualized architecture, with each containerimplementing a particular virtualized NF instance.

Although FIG. 5 shows exemplary components of SDN controller 500, inother implementations, SDN controller 500 may include fewer components,different components, differently arranged components, or additionalcomponents than depicted in FIG. 5. Additionally, or alternatively, oneor more components of SDN controller 500 may perform functions describedas being performed by one or more other components of SDN controller500.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating exemplary information stored in NRF DB460 according to an implementation described herein. As shown in FIG. 6,NRF DB 460 may include one or more slice records 600. Each slice record600 may store information relating to a particular slice. Each slicerecord 600 may include a slice ID field 610, a slice requirements field620, and one or more NF instance records 630.

Slice ID field 610 may store an ID associated with a particular slice.Slice requirements field 620 may store one or more service requirementsassociated with the particular slice, such as, for example, a latencyrequirement associated with the particular slice, a maximum packet lossrequirement associated with the particular slice, a throughputrequirement associated with the particular slice, a maximum error raterequirement associated with the particular slice, and/or another type ofrequirement associated with the particular slice.

Each NF instance record 630 may store information relating to aparticular NF device/instance associated with the particular slice ofslice record 600. NF instance record 630 may include an NF instancefield 640, an NF type field 650, an instance KPI field 660, a path field670, a path KPI field 680, and an administration (admin) weight field690.

NF instance field 640 may identify a particular NF instance in corenetwork 130. NF type field 650 may identify the NF type associated withthe particular NF instance, such as, for example, an AMF, UPF, SMF, AF,UDM, PCF, CHF, NRF, NEF, NSSF, AUSF, EIR, NWDAF, SMSF, SEPP, N3IWF,and/or another type of NF in core network 130. Instance KPI field 660may include a history of one or more transport KPIs measured for theparticular NF instance and received from SDN controller 500 associatedwith the particular NF instance. The transport KPIs may include a packetloss KPI, a packet delay KPI, a packet throughput KPI, a load capacityKPI, and/or another type of transport network KPI measured for theparticular NF instance.

Path field 670 may store information identifying a network pathassociated with the particular NF instance. For example, if theparticular NF instance corresponds to a particular UPF 230, the path mayinclude a path from the particular UPF 230 to a particular data network140 for which the particular UPF 230 acts as a gateway. Additionally,the path may include a path from a particular gNodeB 210 to theparticular UPF 230. Path KPI field 680 may store one or more transportnetwork KPIs measured for the path, identified in the network pathassociated with the particular NF instance. Additionally, instance KPIfield 660 and/or path KPI field 680 may store one or more wirelessnetwork KPIs obtained from NWDAF 268.

Admin weight field 690 may include an administration score computed forthe particular NF instance based on KPI information stored in instanceKPI field 660 and path KPI field 680. For example, the administrationweight may be based on a weighted average of KPI values stored ininstance KPI field 660 and path KPI field 680. As another example, theadministration weight may be based on a scale (e.g., linear scale,logarithmic scale, etc.) that relates particular KPI values to aparticular measure of performance, such as a measure of latency, ameasure of loss, a measure of capacity, and/or another type of measure.As yet another example, the administration weight may indicate whetherthe KPI values associated with the particular NF instance satisfy aparticular service requirement (e.g., administration weight values abovea particular threshold value corresponding to not satisfying theparticular service requirement and administration weights equal to orbelow the particular threshold value corresponding to satisfying theparticular service requirement).

Although FIG. 6 shows exemplary components of NRF DB 460, in otherimplementations, NRF DB 460 may include fewer components, differentcomponents, additional components, or differently arranged componentsthan depicted in FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process for implementing an NRF according toan implementation described herein. In some implementations, the processof FIG. 7 may be performed by NRF 258. In other implementations, some orall of the process of FIG. 7 may be performed by another device or agroup of devices separate from NRF 258.

The process of FIG. 7 may include maintaining a repository of NF devicesin a 5G network (block 710). For example, SDN controller 500 may includeadapter 550 that implements NRF 258 in core network 130. NRF 258 mayinclude a DB that stores NF instance profile information relating to NFinstances in core network 130, along with KPI information measured andcollected for the NF instances.

A transport network KPI for an NF device in the 5G network may beobtained (block 720) and an administration weight may be generated basedon the obtained transport network KPI (block 730). For example, NRF 258may receive, at particular intervals, and/or in response to particulartrigger events, one or more KPI values measured for the NF device,and/or a path associated with the NF device, by SDN controller 500associated with the particular NF device. NRF 258 may compute anadministration weight for the particular NF device based on the one ormore KPI values. The administration weight may be based on a weightedaverage of the one or more KPI values, based on a scale that relatesparticular KPI values to a particular measure of performance (e.g., ameasure of latency, a measure of loss, a measure of capacity, etc.),based on whether the KPI values associated with the particular NF devicesatisfy a particular service requirement, and/or based on another typeof calculation.

A 5G NF discovery request for an NF type associated with the NF devicemay be received (block 740) and a 5G NF discovery answer that includesthe generated administration weight for the NF device may be provided(block 750). For example, AMF 220 may send a 5G NF discovery request toNRF 258 for AF 250 instances associated with a particular applicationand/or service and NRF 258 may respond with a 5G NF discovery answerthat identifies AF 250 instances that satisfy the conditions specifiedin the 5G NF discovery request. The 5G NF discovery answer may includeadministration weight values associated with the identified NFinstances.

A determination may be made as to whether to select the NF device basedon the administration weight (block 760). The requesting NF device mayselect a particular NF device from the identified NF devices based onthe administration weight values associated with the identified NFdevices. As an example, AMF 220 may select a particular AF 250 instancewith the lowest administration weight. As another example, AMF 220 mayselect a particular AF 250 with an administration weight that satisfiesthe service requirements for a service to be performed by the particularAF 250.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an exemplary system 800 according to animplementation described herein. As shown in FIG. 8, system 800 mayinclude core network 130 that includes NFs common to all slices in corenetwork 130. The NFs common to all slices may include UDM 252, NRF 258,NEF 260, NSSF 262, EIR 266, and NWDAF 268. Furthermore, core network 130may include a first slice 810-A associated with a first data network140-A. First slice 810-A may include AMF 220-A, UPF 230-A1, UPF 230-A2,SMF 240-A, PCF 254-A, and NRF 258-A. Moreover, core network 130 mayinclude a second slice 810-B, associated with data network 140-B, and athird slice 810-C, associated with data network 810-C. Second slice810-B may include UPF 230-B1, UPF 230-B2, SMF 240-B, and PCF 254-B.Third slice 810-C may include UPF 230-C1, UPF 230-C2, SMF 240-C, and PCF254-C. Second slice 810-B and third slice 810-C may share common NFs AMF220-B and NRF 258-B. Thus, core network 130 may include NF instancesthat are shared by all slices, that are shared by a subset of slices, orthat are used by a single slice. In particular, core network 130 mayinclude an NRF instance shared by all slices, an NRF instance shared bya subset of slices, and an NRF instance used by a single slice.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an exemplary NRF table 900 according to animplementation described herein that is associated with system 900. NRFtable 900 may be stored in NRF 258 shared by all slices of core network130. As shown in FIG. 9, NRF table 900 may include a slice column 910, aslice requirement column 920, an NF instance column 930, an NF instancelatency column 940, a path column 950, a path latency column 960, and anadmin weight column 970. Slice column 910 may identify a particularslice (e.g., slice 810-A, 810-B, or 810-C). Slice requirement column 920may identify a latency requirement associated with the particular slice.NF instance column 930 may identify a particular UPF instance in theparticular slice. NF instance latency column 940 may identify a latencyvalue measured for the particular UPF instance. Path column 950 mayidentify a path associated with the particular UPF, such as a path to aparticular data network (DN) 140-A, 140-B, or 140-C. Path latency column960 may identify a latency value measured for the particular path. Adminweight column 970 may store an admin weight value computed for theparticular UPF based on the latency value associated with the particularUPF and the latency value associated with the particular path. Forexample, in this case, a low admin weight value may indicate a lowlatency and a high admin weight value may indicate a high latency.

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an exemplary signal flow 1000 according to animplementation described herein. As shown in FIG. 10, signal flow 1000may include SDN controller (SDN-C) 500-A1 sending transport network KPIsrelating to UPF 230-A1 to NRF 258 (signal 1010) and SDN-C 500-A2 sendingtransport network KPIs relating to UPF 230-A2 to NRF 258 (signal 1020).NRF 258 may store the received transport network KPIs and may computeadmin weights based on the received transport network KPIs (block 1030).

At a later time, UE device 110 may request a connection to data network140-A via gNodeB 210 using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) sessionestablishment request (signal 1040). gNodeB 210 may send a protocol dataunit (PDU) session establishment request to AMF 220 and AMF 220 mayselect SMF 240 and send a PDU session create request to SMF 240 (shownas signal 1050 as AMF 220 is not shown in FIG. 10). SMF 240 may send adiscovery request to NRF 258 to identify UPF instances (signal 1060) andNRF 258 may respond to the request with information relating to UPFs230-A1 and 230-A2 (signal 1070). The response by NRF 258 may includeadmin weight values from NRF table 900 for UPFs 230-A1 and 230-A2. Basedon the received admin weight values, SMF 240 may select UPF 230-A1(block 1080) and may then establish an N4 session to set up a dataconnection to data network 140-A via the selected UPF 230-A1 (signal1090).

In the preceding specification, various preferred embodiments have beendescribed with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however,be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto,and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing fromthe broader scope of the invention as set forth in the claims thatfollow. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded inan illustrative rather than restrictive sense.

For example, while a series of blocks have been described with respectto FIG. 7, and a series of signals with respect to FIG. 10, the order ofthe blocks and/or signals may be modified in other implementations.Further, non-dependent blocks and/or signals may be performed inparallel.

It will be apparent that systems and/or methods, as described above, maybe implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, andhardware in the implementations illustrated in the figures. The actualsoftware code or specialized control hardware used to implement thesesystems and methods is not limiting of the embodiments. Thus, theoperation and behavior of the systems and methods were described withoutreference to the specific software code—it being understood thatsoftware and control hardware can be designed to implement the systemsand methods based on the description herein.

Further, certain portions, described above, may be implemented as acomponent that performs one or more functions. A component, as usedherein, may include hardware, such as a processor, an ASIC, or a FPGA,or a combination of hardware and software (e.g., a processor executingsoftware).

It should be emphasized that the terms “comprises”/“comprising” whenused in this specification are taken to specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps or components but does not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,components or groups thereof.

The term “logic,” as used herein, may refer to a combination of one ormore processors configured to execute instructions stored in one or morememory devices, may refer to hardwired circuitry, and/or may refer to acombination thereof. Furthermore, a logic may be included in a singledevice or may be distributed across multiple, and possibly remote,devices.

For the purposes of describing and defining the present invention, it isadditionally noted that the term “substantially” is utilized herein torepresent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed toany quantitative comparison, value, measurement, or otherrepresentation. The term “substantially” is also utilized herein torepresent the degree by which a quantitative representation may varyfrom a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basicfunction of the subject matter at issue.

To the extent the aforementioned embodiments collect, store, or employpersonal information of individuals, it should be understood that suchinformation shall be collected, stored, and used in accordance with allapplicable laws concerning protection of personal information.Additionally, the collection, storage and use of such information may besubject to consent of the individual to such activity, for example,through well known “opt-in” or “opt-out” processes as may be appropriatefor the situation and type of information. Storage and use of personalinformation may be in an appropriately secure manner reflective of thetype of information, for example, through various encryption andanonymization techniques for particularly sensitive information.

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application shouldbe construed as critical or essential to the embodiments unlessexplicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” isintended to include one or more items. Further, the phrase “based on” isintended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly statedotherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: obtaining a transportnetwork key performance indicator (KPI) for a network path associatedwith a network function device in a network; generating anadministration weight based on the obtained transport network KPI,wherein the administration weight corresponds to a measure ofperformance associated with the network function device; and providinginformation relating to the network function device to other devices inthe network as part of a network repository function service, whereinthe information includes the generated administration weight.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, from a requestingnetwork function device, a network function discovery request for anetwork function type, wherein the network function device is associatedwith the network function type; and providing a network functiondiscovery answer to the requesting network function device, wherein thenetwork function discovery answer includes the provided informationrelating to the network function device.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the obtaining is performed by a Fifth Generation (5G) NetworkRepository Function (NRF).
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtainingthe transport network KPI includes: receiving the transport network KPIfrom a Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller associated with thenetwork function device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the SDNcontroller is configured as a Fifth Generation (5G) Application Function(AF) device and the transport network KPI is received via a 5G Nafinterface associated with the 5G AF device.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the transport network KPI includes at least one of a packet lossKPI, a packet delay KPI, or a load capacity KPI.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein generating the administration weight based on the obtainedtransport network KPI includes: determining whether the obtainedtransport network KPI satisfies a service requirement associated with anetwork slice associated with the network function device.
 8. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: obtaining a wireless network KPI for thenetwork function device from a Network Data Analytics Function (NWDAF)device associated with the network; and wherein generating theadministration weight is further based on the obtained wireless networkKPI.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network function deviceincludes a User Plane Function (UPF) device.
 10. The method of claim 2,wherein the requesting network function device includes a SessionManagement Function (SMF) device or an Application Function (AF) device.11. A computer device comprising: a memory storing instructions; and aprocessor configured to execute the instructions to: obtain a transportnetwork key performance indicator (KPI) for a network path associatedwith a network function device in a network; generate an administrationweight based on the obtained transport network KPI, wherein theadministration weight corresponds to a measure of performance associatedwith the network function device; and provide information relating tothe network function device to other devices in the network as part of anetwork repository function service, wherein the information includesthe generated administration weight.
 12. The computer device of claim11, wherein the processor is further configured to: receive, from arequesting network function device, a network function discovery requestfor a network function type, wherein the network function device isassociated with the network function type; and provide a networkfunction discovery answer to the requesting network function device,wherein the network function discovery answer includes the providedinformation relating to the network function device.
 13. The computerdevice of claim 11, wherein, when obtaining the transport network KPI,the processor is further configured to: receive the transport networkKPI from a Software Defined Networking (SDN) controller associated withthe network function device.
 14. The computer device of claim 13,wherein the SDN controller is configured as a Fifth Generation (5G)Application Function (AF) device and the transport network KPI isreceived via a 5G Naf interface associated with the 5G AF device. 15.The computer device of claim 11, wherein the transport network KPIincludes at least one of a packet loss KPI, a packet delay KPI, or aload capacity KPI.
 16. The computer device of claim 11, wherein, whengenerating the administration weight based on the obtained transportnetwork KPI, the processor is further configured to: determine whetherthe obtained transport network KPI satisfies a service requirementassociated with a network slice associated with the particular networkfunction device.
 17. The computer device of claim 11, wherein theprocessor is further configured to: obtain a wireless network KPI forthe network function device from a Network Data Analytics Function(NWDAF) device associated with the network; and generate theadministration weight further based on the obtained wireless networkKPI.
 18. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the network functiondevice includes a User Plane Function (UPF) device.
 19. A non-transitorycomputer-readable memory device storing instructions executable by aprocessor, the non-transitory computer-readable memory devicecomprising: one or more instructions to obtain a transport network keyperformance indicator (KPI) for a network path associated with a networkfunction device in a network; one or more instructions to generate anadministration weight based on the obtained transport network KPI,wherein the administration weight corresponds to a measure ofperformance associated with the network function device; and one or moreinstructions to provide information relating to the network functiondevice to other devices in the network as part of a network repositoryfunction service, wherein the information includes the generatedadministration weight.
 20. The non-transitory computer-readable memorydevice of claim 19, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable memorydevice includes one or more instructions to enable the processor tofunction as a Fifth Generation (5G) Network Repository Function (NRF).